Police Blotter

MADISON - It was pre-dawn. The glass door of
a bank had been smashed. The police entered to find what looked
like fresh bloodstains.

It was not, however, the crime scene these
circumstances might indicate.

It was a deer, the Madison police
discovered, that broke into a bank and a carpet store on Main
Street in the early-morning hours Tuesday, April 29.

At 5:48 a.m. the police heard an alarm
activation at First Morris Bank, 80 Main St., and got there within
30 seconds. The front door of the bank had been smashed and there
appeared to be fresh blood inside.

While setting up a perimeter, officers
noticed another front window of a carpet store across the street
had been smashed. They called for assistance from the surrounding
departments to secure the scene and close off Main
Street.

Members of the Madison Police Emergency
Services Unit (ESU) responded along with the Morris County K-9 Unit
to search the building, believing that the suspect might still be
inside the bank.

After the K-9 unit and ESU members entered,
it was determined that the interior was secure, but the officers
saw more blood.

They went across the street to search
Cramer's Carpet One, 73 Main St. Noise was heard coming from within
the building, and once again the K-9 unit was called upon to make
initial entry.

After the K-9 unit went in, the Madison
officers were informed that an injured deer was in the
store.

When the officers tried to subdue the
animal, the deer became frantic and ran back out of the broken
front window and across the street.

No injuries occurred to any officers, but
the interior of the carpet store had several areas of blood smears
and broken glass. Similarly, the bank had two broken glass doors
and bloodstains within the establishment.

The deer appeared to have cut wounds to its
hindquarters. It fled, not allowing the officers to come close. It
was last seen running toward the Central Avenue area.

Burglary Arrest Made

In other police news, at 7:03 p.m. Monday,
April 28, Patrolman John Miscia and Detective. Edward Mitchko
investigated a reported burglary at 49 Park Ave.

The victim said an unknown individual had
removed a padlock from a storage room, kicked in an interior door,
and stolen about $540 worth of power tools.

A worker on the premises told the officers
he had observed a padlock matching the type on the rear door of the
storage shed in one of the tenants' apartments. He led the officers
to the apartment, where they made contact with the resident,
identified as Amy Duffy. She stated she did not take the lock off
the shed door but that she knew who did, and wished to cooperate
with the investigation, according to the police.

The officers took her to headquarters, where
the police said they were able to identify the person responsible
for the burglary.

Further investigation revealed active
warrants for Duffy's arrest, issued by the Long Beach Township and
Raritan municipal courts, totaling $568, according to the police,
who said Duffy was turned over to the Raritan Police Department in
default of bail.

Detective Mitchko continued his
investigation and secured a warrant for the arrest of Charles
Peterson, 32, of 49 Park Ave., Madison, on a charge of
burglary.

Detective Mitchko returned to the apartment
in an attempt to serve the arrest warrant, accompanied by other
members of the Madison Police Department. They found Peterson and a
woman there.

The woman attempted to flee and was stopped
by the officers on the scene. They served an arrest warrant on
Peterson and took him into custody without incident.

The police said they determined the woman,
Jennifer L. Dembitsky, 20, of Route 171, Susquehanna, Pa., was
wanted on active warrants issued by the Parsippany and Newark
municipal courts, and by the Superior Court in Essex County, with
no bail. She was turned over to the Essex County Sheriff's
Department.

Detective Mitchko took Peterson to
headquarters and charged him with burglary, and also executed an
active arrest warrant issued by Parsippany Municipal Court.
Peterson was held at the Madison police headquarters. No property
was recovered.

The police said their investigation is
continuing.

* * *

Active Warrants

At 1:06 p.m. last Wednesday, April 23,
Patrolman John Miscia arrested motorist Stanley C. Plonski, 33, of
East Passaic Avenue, Bloomfield, and charged him with contempt of
court and criminal simulation following a motor vehicle stop on
Main Street.

The police said a computer check of the
state law enforcement data base indicated that Plonski's license
had been suspended, and that there were numerous active warrants
for his arrest from six municipal courts, totaling $7,087
bail.

The police said Miscia additionally noticed
that Plonski had an altered New Jersey driver's license in his
possession.

Plonski was arrested, taken to headquarters,
and charged with driving while his license was suspended, operating
a vehicle with no insurance, and criminal simulation for possessing
an altered driver's license.

The arrest warrants had been issued by the
Weehawken, Mahwah, East Orange, Saddle Brook, Morristown, Kearney
and Belleville municipal courts.

Plonski was released on bail, pending a
court appearance.

* * *

At 11 a.m. Thursday, April 24, police
Captain John Trevena arrested motorist Tamara E. Standford, 23, of
Valley Street, Orange, and charged her with contempt of court
following a motor vehicle stop on Route 24.

The police said Trevena had observed a
vehicle with no front license plate and stopped the driver. A
computer check showed that her license had been suspended and that
there were numerous active warrants for her arrest, according to
the police.

She was arrested, taken to headquarters and
charged with driving while her license was suspended and operating
a vehicle with no front license plate. The warrants had been issued
by the West Orange, Verona, South Orange, Orange and East Brunswick
municipal courts, with bail totaling $2,602. Standford was turned
over to the East Brunswick Police, pending a court
appearance.

* * *

At 12:44 a.m. Friday, April 25, Patrolman
Peter Iossa arrested motorist James B. Haggerty, 26, of Crestview
Court East, Morris Plains, and charged him with driving with a
suspended license following a motor vehicle stop on Main
Street.

Haggerty had been observed operating his
vehicle in a careless manner on Main Street and was stopped near
John Avenue, the police said.

He was issued summonses for careless
driving, failure to observe marked lanes, driving while intoxicated
and refusal to provide a breath alcohol sample. He was released
pending a court appearance.

* * *

At 12:32 p.m. Sunday, April 27, Patrolman
James Cavezza and Detective Edward Mitchko went to a Brooklake Road
residence to serve a warrant on Ronald Maver, 41, at that
address.

The police said the warrant had been issued
by the Essex County Sheriff's Office with bail in the amount of
$5,930. The officers took Maver to headquarters for processing, and
contacted The Essex County Sheriff's Office, which responded to
take custody of Maver.

* * *

At 10:50 p.m. Sunday, April 27, Patrolman
Anthony Maccario arrested Elkin J. Galves, 48, of Main Street,
Madison, and charged him with simple assault following a report of
an argument at 43 Main St. The police said officers responded to
the location after a victim called to report she had been assaulted
by Galves.

After a brief investigation, Galves was
placed under arrest, taken to headquarters, charged with simple
assault, and released pending a court appearance.

* * *

The Madison Police Department and the
Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded to 19 medical
emergencies during the past week.

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